Shirt pressing machine



April 5, 1932. E. DAVIS SHIRT PRESSING MACHINE Filed Oct. 29. 1928 wdr INVENTOR W ATTORNEYS lii Patented Apr. 5, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ERNEST DAVIS, F SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE PROSPERITY COMPANY INC., OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION 01'! NEW YORK- SHIR'I. IRESSING MACHINE Application filed October 29, 1928.

This invention relates to shirt pressing machines and has for its object a particularly simple and eflicient means for moving one of the pressing elements laterally when the pressing elements come into pressing coaction and particularly to press the shirt close up to the neck band by such lateral movement.

The invention consists. in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a pressing machine embodying my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of the head and contiguous parts of the supporting lever therefor.

Figure 8 is an elevation of parts seen in Figure 2.

Figure 4: is a longitudinal sectional view through the head.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary view illustrating J the coaction of the head and the neck band holder during the lateral movement of the head.

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of parts seen in Figure 2.

This pressing machine comprises, general- 1y, a frame, upper and lower cooperating pressing elements, supports for said elements, one of said supports being movably carried by the frame to carry the element supported thereby toward and from the other element, and connections between one of said elements and its support to shift said element laterally when the pressing elements are coming into coacting engagement or when the press is i going under final pressure.

In the illustrated embodiment of my invention, the same element has both movements. that is. the opening and closing movement and the iateral movement, and this element is the upper one or head.

Serial No. 315,703.

movable support as a yoke lever 5 pivoted be tween its ends at 6 to a standard 7 forming part of the frame.

The head may be actuated in any suitable manner, and is here shown as actuated by power mechanism including an oscillating cylinder 8 pivoted at 9 to the frame and having the rod 10 of its piston connected by suitable motion transmitting mechanism to the head 1 or the yoke lever 5. This motiontransmitting mechanism is here shown as an angle lever 11 pivoted at its angle at 12 to the base of the frame and having a forwardly extending arm to which the piston rod 10 is piv oted at 13, and an upwardly extending arm 14 pivoted at 15 to one end of a link 16, the other end of which is pivoted at 17 to the rear arm of the yoke lever. The links 14 and 16 form a toggle. The piston in the cylinder 8 is single acting and acts to close the press, and the press is opened when the pressure in the cylinder is released by countersprings 18 and 19. There is anadditional check SpringQO coacting with the rod 21 pivoted to the rear arm ofthe yoke lever 5, this rod telescoping into the spring and having means at its lower end which comes into engagement with an abutment at the upper end of the spring just before the head finally closes, and hence acts to overcome themomentum that the head may have gained during its movement from wide open to nearly closed position.

The control of the flow of motive fluid as air to and from the cylinder 8 is controlled in any suitable manner as by a push button 22 which controls the flow of air to the cylinder. and the operation of valves located in the easing 23 to hold the valves in their operated position. The flow of air from the cylinder is controlled by the release manual or lever 24. In operation, the operator depresses the push button 22 which causes the head to close and remain closed.

To open the press, the lever 24 is operated to release the pressure in the cylinder 8 so that the head will open under the influence of the springs 18 and 19.

The construction thus far described forms no part of this invention. 1 i

The buck is formed with the usual neck band holder, the body of which is designated 25. Neck band holders, as is well known, include a body and an expansible clamp carried by the body, the clamp being expansible to fit difierent size neck bands, the neck bands being buttoned around the clamp whencthe shirt is laid on the buck including a clamp in the form of a loop 26 which moves over the body as shown in Figure 5. With this type of neck-band, studs or buttons are not used to hold the neck band in position.

The head is formed with a cutout 27 com plemental to the neck band holder or the body 25 thereof. The head is also formed with a body 28 which is usually a casting with a shallow depression 29 on its upper side and this depression is closed by a sheet metal plate 30. The depression when closed by the sheet metal plate 30 forms a chamber for receiving a heating medium as steam, it being understood that the head or buck or both of them are usually heated.

The head 1 is supported to shift laterally to carry the wall of the cutout 27 toward and from the neck band clamp or the edge of the body 25 thereof in order to press the portion of the shirt adjoining the neck band, and to facilitate such pressing, the wall of the cutout is formed with a lip 31 having a pressing face coextensive with that of the head.

The means for moving the head laterally as it comes into pressing engagement with the buck or with the work on the buck, and thus moving the wall of the cutout 27 toward the edge of the neck band holder, comprises connections which might be termed compressible connections between the head and its sup port, that is, the yoke lever 5, these connec tions being specifically, two pairs of links 32 pivoted at like ends at 33 to the support and at their other ends at 34 to the head, these links being normally arranged at an inclined angle and movable toward a straight angle as the head comes into final pressing position. As the yoke is held from lateral movement the head is moved laterally and the links are compelled to move toward a straight angle and during such movement shift the head laterally.

The support for the head, in addition to the yoke lever,-includes members associated with the yoke lever, the yoke lever is shown as bifurcated and these members are bars 35 carried by the bifurcations of the lever 5 and extending transversely of the head.

The links 32 are pivoted to the front and rear end of the bars. The bars 35 are yieldingly connected to the head in order to permit a rocking compensating movement of the head when the head moves under final pressure, and as here illustrated, the bars are provided with studs 36' extending through holes in the lever 5 on the bifurcations thereof and having shoulders 37 at their opposite of the bars 35 and the lateral movement is against the action of a returning spring 42 encircling a rod 43 pro ecting horizontally from one of the bars 35 through a lug 44 on the head and the spring is interposed between the lug 4A and the bar 35 from which the rod 43 projects.

In operation, as the head comes down under final pressure on the work, the links 32 flatten and hence shift the head laterally slightly to bring the wall of the cutout 27 up close to the neck band or around the neck band holder or body 25 thereof.

hat I claim is:

1. In a pressing machine, the combination of a frame, cooperating pressing elements having pressing faces thereon, supports for said elements carried by the frame, one of said supports being movable to carry the element supported thereby toward and from the other element, and connections between one of said elements and its support to shift said element laterally when said elements come into pressing engagement, said connections including links connecting the laterally movable element and its support, said links being pivoted respectively to the support and its companion pressing element and normally arranged at an inclined angle to the pressin face of the element connected therewith and movable toward a position parallel to said pressing face after the pressing elements come into pressing position, and a returning spring for resisting the lateral movement.

2. In a shirt pressing machine, the combination of a frame, upper and lower cooperating pressing elements, the lower element being formed with a neck band holder projecting above the pressing face of the buck and the upper element with a cut out complemen- 5' the wall of the cut out, one toward the other,

said connections comprising links connecting the laterally movable element and its support, said links being pivoted respectively to the support and to its companion pressing element and normally arranged at an inclined angle to the pressing face of the connected pressing element and movable toward a position parallel to the pressing face when the pressing elements come into pressing engage ment.

3. I11 a garment or laundry pressing machine in combination a frame; cooperative pressing jaws having pressing faces thereon; supports for the pressing jaws, mounted on the frame; means to move one of said supports to carry the pressing jaw supported thereby into and out of pressing connection with the other pressing jaw; means between one of said pressing jaws and its support operable to shift said pressing face laterally relative to its support, said shifting means including members normally arranged at an inclined angle to the pressing face of the laterally shiftable pressing jaw and movable toward a position parallel to said pressing face after the pressing jaws come in contact, and yieldable means for resisting the lateral movement.

l. In a garment or laundry pressing ma chme in combination a frame; cooperative pressing jaws having pressing faces thereon; supports for the pressing jaws, mounted on the frame; means to move one of said supports to carry the pressing jaw supported thereby into and out of pressing connection with the other pressing jaw; means between one of said pressing jaws and its support operable to automatically shift said pressing jaw laterally relative to its support and the other pressing jaw; and adjustable stop means to limit the extent of said lateral shifting.

5. In a garment or laundry pressing machine in combination aframe; a buck mounted on the frame; a head movable toward and from the buck; an operating memher for the head pivoted to the frame; support members for the head connected with the head and connected with said operating member so as to move the head laterally relatively to the ope 'ating member and the buck when the head comes into pressing engagement with the buck; and adjustable means to limit said lateral movement of the head.

6. In a garment or laundry pressing machine in combination a frame; a buck mounted on the frame; a head movable toward and from the buck; an operating memher for the head pivoted to the frame; support members for the head including links pivoted at their upper ends to said operating member and at their other ends to the head, the links being normally arranged at an in clined angle to the pressing face of the head and movable toward a position parallel to said face when the head comes into pressing engagement with the buck; and stop means mounted on the head and operable against the operating member to limit the lateral movement of the head In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, and in the State of New York, this 25th day of October, 1928.

ERNEST DAVIS. 

